Bob Hope Show: Christmas 1941 (Original Staging‪)‬

This episode of Bob Hope's classic NBC radio show originally aired on December 23, 1941. It is especially poignant considering that it was Christmas, and just two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Bob Hope made his radio debut on NBC in May 1937. He became a top-rated fixture on Tuesday nights with his theme song, "Thanks for the Memories". His legendary broadcasts from military bases around the world helped boost American morale during the dark days of World War II. Over the years, his radio regulars included Jerry Colonna, Brenda and Cobina, Vera Vague, Wendall Niles, and orchestras led by Skinnay Ennis and Les Brown. Featured singers on the show included Judy Garland, Frances Langford, Doris Day, and Gloria Jean.

Hope's radio career lasted well into the mid-1950s. By then, he had become a major movie and television star. He died on July 29, 2003, at the age of 100.